Today's Scripture Readings

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 5/12/2013

Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Epistle Reading: Acts 5:12-20

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders
were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's
Porch.

Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed
them highly.

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes
of both men and women,

so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid
them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by
might fall on some of them.

Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to
Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean
spirits, and they were all healed.

Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (
which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common
prison.

But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and
brought them out, and said,

"Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words
of this life."

Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of
the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be
with you."

Now when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His
side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father
has sent Me, I also send you."

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to
them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if
you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas, called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with
them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the
Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into
His side, I will not believe."

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and
Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst,
and said, "Peace to you!"

Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at
My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing."

And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His
disciples, which are not written in this book;

but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Saints and Feasts

St. Thomas Sunday; Jason & Sosipater the Apostles of the 70 & their Companions; Holy Martyr Cercyra; Our Holy Father John of Kaloktenos, Metropolitan of Thebes; Ss. Theocharus and Apostolus of Arte; Basil, Bishop of Montenegro; Nektarios the New Martyr of Optina

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The Old Calendar readings are from the New King James Version of the Bible.